Our objectives are to attempt to understand the relationship of the cell "envelope", (cell wall and cytoplasmic membrane) of Neisseria gonorrhoeae as it relates to the function of the gonococcus in gonorrhea. These will include: 1) Attempts at isolation of L-forms of the gonococcus from individuals with gonorrhea and from asymptomatic carriers. These attempts require the development of a better growth medium for transport and isolation and the introduction of other techniques, e.g. filtration for the separation of the L-form. 2) Development of systems for the induction (e.g., antibiotics, autolysis) selection (e.g., detergent sensitivity) and characterization (electron microscopy; antibiotic resistance: chemical analysis) of cell wall defective variants of gonococci. 3) A study of the invasiveness of gonococcal L-forms (on the chorioallantoic membrane of developing chick embryos) and their possible pathogenicity or isolation from chick embryos infected with gonococci and then treated with penicillin. 4) Induction, survival and multiplication of L-forms in vivo requires that these cells evade the host defense mechanisms. The interaction of L-forms with human serum and polymorphonuclear leukocytes and their fate following phagocytosis will be followed. These investigations will confirm or disprove recent reports that gonococcal L-forms are isolated from individuals with gonorrhea. By characterization of available strains of L-forms the role of the cell envelope in antibiotic resistance and possible persistence of the gonococcus as a growth form with different susceptibilities to environmental influences will be elucidated.